By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — It takes a cool head, a strong will and top-notch reaction times to excel as a defensive specialist, and Harlingen South’s Zoe Garcia has those qualities in spades.
Victoria College athletic director and volleyball coach Josh Moore noticed that when he met Garcia at a tryout held Dec. 11, 2019. She impressed the Pirates’ coaching staff immediately, but just before the tryout, Victoria College’s final libero/defensive specialist position was filled by a recruit.
“There’s a certain drill that I do during tryouts where I go 1-on-1 with (the defensive specialists) and I hit hard balls at them constantly for almost two minutes,” Moore said. “I’ve been doing this for a while, I can tell from those first few minutes in that drill if they can play at this level or not, and Zoe definitely had (the reaction times I look for). We all felt bad that we didn’t have a spot for her when she came to the tryout because she was so good.”
Moore put Garcia at the top of his recruiting list, and when a defensive specialist spot on the roster suddenly became available, Garcia was his first choice to fill that hole. When he called Garcia in March, he explained the situation and offered her a roster spot.
Garcia loved the atmosphere in Victoria College’s gym and felt comfortable with the coaching staff, and on Monday she signed her intent to play college volleyball for the Pirates.
“One of their former players decided to transfer, so that opened up a spot for me and I was really excited to accept,” Garcia said. “I really wanted to play college ball, and this opportunity offers me that chance. I went to a lot of showcases and tryouts during my senior year to try and get the most exposure to college coaches. It feels extremely rewarding knowing that all the work I put in paid off in the end.”
The dream of playing at the next level was planted when Garcia began playing club volleyball with the South Texas Juniors as an eighth-grader. She credits her club coaches and Harlingen South coach Anissa Lucio for motivating and pushing her to reach this accomplishment.
“I am very grateful for my club coaches, Jesse Lopez, Marissa Rios and Debbie Puente, for helping me become the player that I am and instilling in me the desire to always improve and grow,” Garcia said. (Lucio’s) coaching style has taught me a lot about responsibility and discipline, and I am very grateful for that. I’m thankful for her ongoing support in motivating me to play college ball and not letting me give up on my goals.”
Lucio helped Garcia become a mainstay in the Hawks’ back row during her three-year varsity career. In her final season, Garcia racked up 1,064 digs behind her quick-footed defense and determination to get under every ball. She also contributed 71 assists and 27 aces to South’s area-finalist season.
Lucio praised Garcia’s work ethic and discipline, and said the Hawks depended on her to anchor the defense. Garcia will be playing next year with teammate Mikela Mireles, who signed with Victoria College in March. Three South senior volleyball players have signed to play collegiately this year, and Lucio said they’ll serve as inspiration for her program.
“Zoe is an exciting player to watch,” Lucio said. “She’s a technically sound player. I can’t even put into words how easy my job has been because of having a defensive player like her. She made amazing plays, I mean, plays that we thought, ‘OK, that’s going to hit the floor,’ but nope, she found a way to get the ball up.
“We’ve had this plan for (those seniors) since my first year, and they’ve had this goal for themselves to get to the next level. It’s a blessing to see them achieve this,” Lucio added. “I’m so proud of them and everything they’ve given to our program, and I’m excited to see their new chapter. I know they’re going to be successful.”
Garcia enjoyed her Hawks career, but with one goal achieved she’s ready to set her sights on accomplishing all she has planned for the next phase of her life.
“During my time at South I have grown tremendously both as an athlete and a person,” Garcia said. “I want to eventually become a veterinarian. I plan to finish my basics at Victoria College and then transfer to Texas A&M-Kingsville for my pre-vet degree, then pursue my doctorate at A&M College Station.”